Europe could get Cypriot natural gas by 2027, president says
[November 20, 2025] By
MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Some of the estimated 20 trillion cubic feet of
natural gas discovered in waters off Cyprus could reach European markets
as soon as 2027, the Cypriot president said Wednesday, as Europe looks
for more ways to wean itself off Russian energy.
President Nikos Christodoulides said that the first quantity of natural
gas that could be exported abroad will come from one of six discovered
deposits called Cronos, which is operated by a consortium made up of
Italian company Eni and French firm TotalEnergies.
Christodoulides told an energy conference that the consortium would make
its final decision to move ahead with the project next year, with Cronos
gas potentially reaching a processing plant in the Egyptian port city of
Damietta for liquefaction and transportation to European markets by ship
in 2027.
“Cyprus is part of the energy solutions for energy security in the
eastern Mediterranean and like I said, it’s an important objective to
align your interests with those of powerful states and to act as an
alternative energy corridor for Europe,” Christodoulides said.
By comparison, Cyprus' current natural gas quantities are roughly equal
to a 10-year supply of the hydrocarbon that Russia would have piped to
Europe through the now inoperable Nord Stream pipeline, powering more
than 22 million homes annually.
Speaking at the same conference, Cypriot Energy Minister George
Pananastasiou said that natural gas from the Cronos deposit could reach
markets the quickest, because it can be connected to infrastructure
already in place conveying gas from Egypt’s huge Zor deposit around 80
kilometers (50 miles) away.
Papanastasiou said that a late 2027 target date for Cronos gas to reach
market is “optimistic but doable.”
According to the Cypriot energy minister, plans to export natural gas
from another of Cyprus’ deposits known as Aphrodite foresee the
positioning of a floating processing plant atop the actual reservoir to
modify the hydrocarbon into what he called “dry gas” that can be routed
directly to consumers inside Egypt.
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People on the beach take photos of the 'Tungsten Explorer' drilling
ship, in the southern coastal city of Larnaca, Cyprus, Wednesday,
Nov. 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias, File)
 The processed gas will reach a
facility near Egypt’s Port Said and will either be utilized for
domestic Egyptian consumption or liquefied for export to Europe,
depending on what will be decided in further consultations between
Cyprus and the deposit’s operator, a partnership between Chevron,
Shell and Israeli company NewMed Energy.
Christodoulides said that he would travel to Lebanon next week to
exclusively discuss Cyprus’ energy plans. Cyprus shares maritime
borders with Lebanon, but the Lebanese government hasn’t fully
ratified an agreement delineating the exclusive economic zones of
the two countries. That has prevented Cyprus from opening up areas
abutting Lebanese waters for hydrocarbons exploration.
The Cypriot president said that there’s “interest from energy
giants” to license more areas — or blocks — from within Cypriot
waters. ExxonMobil and partners QatarEnergy also hold hydrocarbon
exploration licenses for two blocks off Cyprus’ southern coast.
In one block, the partnership has made two significant natural gas
deposit discoveries known as Glaucus and Pegasus. Glaucus is
estimated to hold approximately 4.5 trillion cubic feet of gas,
while Pegasus’ size is still being determined.
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